Heads Up: UK Tonight BBC2 20:00 hrs.

I’m a little confused. I saw a little bit of ‘The Colour of War III – The American Story’ when it aired the first time and from memory it had an American narrator though it was still a British programme. It is repeating tonight but the narrator is British actor Patrick Macnee. I looked it up on IMDb and the only thing I can find close to it is something they call “The Color of War” but that was narrated by Peter Coyote. Did they make two versions???

Also IMDb calls the others in the series ‘The Second World War in Colour’ and ‘Briatin at War in Colour’ (these being the John Thaw versions.) We saw them as The Colour of War and The Colour of War – The British Story respectively. It seems they have changed stuff for export markets.

IMDb doesn’t even mention the ‘D Day to VE Day’ episode which screened here last year, nor the ‘The Colour of War – The ANZACs’.

Either way, they are all awesome programmes. Tonight’s (episode one of the US angled one) has loads of aviation in it.

Surviving Spitfires in Colour

Was that the same clip as cropped up two hours later on D-Day in Colour (ITV1)?

Moggy

Moggy,

Not the same clip but possibly the same source.

I have yet to analyse last evenings later ITV1 footage, as I took the precaution of recording it anticipating I would fall asleep part way through, and I did.

When ‘The Second World War in Colour’ was first screened a couple or so years back I couldn’t believe our luck when ‘freeze frame’ captured the RAF serial MJ730, a surviving Spitfire. The TV production company directed me to the Washington archives as the source and they, via Jerry Yagen, furnished a complete 16mm print of these various clips. The footage was by William Wyler and others, whilst filming for ‘The Thunderbolt’. Whether this was before or after ‘Memphis Belle’ I am not sure.

With 200 plus surviving Spitfires and 20,000 plus production I suppose there is a better then 1% chance that any new material unearthed will include a survivor. In the past we have seen private colour WWII movie of the Saxonwold Spitfire JF294 in South Africa and also material from the Czech film unit of AR501, the Shuttleworth Spitfire, at Exeter.

Mark

Incidentally any forum members with early shots of surviving Spitfires, say pre 1960, B & W or otherwise, that they would care to share, you have a waiting and appreciative audience. 🙂

For New Zealanders another heads up on a similar vein:

The Colour of War – The American Story begins this Sunday on Prime TV.

This series previously ran on TV1, but unlike the original Colour of War (on TV3), and sequels like “The British Story”, “D-Day to VE-Day” and “The ANZACs”, the US one was on at a terrible afternoon slot instead of prime time. This time round it is prime time, so don’t miss it.

Has Britain seen the ANZAC’s one yet? It’s narrated by Russell Crowe and is surprisingly good. I was amazed they found enough colout footage for three episodes and didn’t even use the colour footage of Cobber Kain that has been seen in New Zealand At War.

Note the the taxiing Spitfires in Corsica in full colour; HT-W is actually MJ730 currently owned by Jerry Yagen in the US.

Mark

Was that the same clip as cropped up two hours later on D-Day in Colour (ITV1)?

Moggy

Very sobering.

Perhaps all secondary school children around the world should be required to watch these programmes! Maybe the world’s politicians might learn something too?

I’ve just seen the clips from Dachau and Buchenwald. Truly appalling.

Yes – well worth watching for that bit alone!